Bownanza

Lame title for this post, I know.

Last night, I had a MNO (read: Mom's Night Out) at my friend Jackie's house. I was supposed to be teaching the moms how to make bows.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a very good teacher. I'm a do-er. I figure out what I want to make and then I find a way to work it out. However, I loaded up my bow-goodies and headed up to her house, laptop in hand, to try and pass along my limited knowledge to others.

Two and a half hours later, I, the leader, only had one completed bow. And it was a wonky one at that!



I also didn't remember until I was packing up my goodies that I needed to take some pics to share with you all. So this one was taken just now via my iPhone. (Insert adoring sigh in the direction of iPhone here).

Anyway, there are a few great sites that I like to use to make my bows. Huge disclaimer here: I HATE making bows. I'm a painful perfectionist when it comes to my craftiness, and I'm impossibly dissatisfied with every bow that has ever been born of my hands.

Bow making help:
Way To Bow - this site walks you through the patterns needed to make those layered multi colored bows that are becoming all the rage
Girly Things Bows - The first and last bow tutorial site you will ever need. This site has everything from boutique bows to tuxedo bows to cupcake bows to bow holders... I could go on and on. You just need to check it out for yourself.
Korker Tutorial - Want to make Korkers? This is a great site to learn how to DIY from beginning to end!
Infant Clippie - Posh N Pretty has lots of great tutes for bows. I like the simplicity of her Infant Clippie tutorial. The only addition that I would suggest is to add some drawer liner to help keep it in fine baby hair.

So maybe this seems like a lot of work when you could just buy a bow, right? Well, There's a strange satisfaction when you are able to say, "Oh, I made it" when someone asks where you got the loopy colorful clip you have affixed on your child's head. However, if it seems like this is just way too much of an undertaking for you, here are a few of my favorite bow sellers. They are all on Etsy. I LOVE ETSY.

My Fave Bow Sellers:
All The Frills Boutique - The mother of all layered bows!!! Beautiful, big, colorful, ribbon goodness for your little bowhead!
Lolly's Fabulous Bows - WAHM with two adorable girls who makes big, fabulous Korkers, custom orders.
The Princess and Me - Ginormous, beautiful boutique bows.
FunnyKindaGirl - Super unique bows. Very cute!!

If you have a tip to share, let me know and I'll post it here!!

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama